


Stolen Goods

by QueenOfTheQuill



Series: Your Candle in the Dark, Your Family and Your Spark [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Darcy is not pleased with this turn of events, Darcy's in trouble now, F/M, Kidnapping, faceless bad guys, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-26
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2018-02-27 03:19:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2677070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfTheQuill/pseuds/QueenOfTheQuill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy is not okay with being stolen, thank you very much, and if she doesn't get out soon, somebody's gonna get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Knew I Should Have Stayed Home Today

**Author's Note:**

> I put the rating at mature to be safe because I'm not sure how graphic my descriptions are going to get, but I'll warn you if anything terrible happens. Here's the latest installment of the Candle 'Verse and let me tell you, Darcy is not pleased with me.
> 
> Bonus points if you know what the chapter title is from!

Darcy always knew that this was a possibility, of course. She worked and lived with the Avengers and was known to be close to them, she was a major PR representative for both Stark Industries and the Avengers Initiative, and she worked closely with Dr. Jane Foster, one of the leading minds in astrophysics and, oh yeah, Thor’s fianceé.

 

So she wasn’t really surprised when the Tower went into lockdown, but the baddies seemed to be making headway towards the labs anyway.

 

“JARVIS,” she said calmly, herding the panicking interns into a Hulk-proof safe room. “The lab’s safety modifications on my Stark Pad, if you would be so kind.”

 

“Of course, Miss Lewis.”

 

“And initiate Protocol Alpha Foxtrot Zulu on the computer data. Jane’ll kill me if we lose it, but it would be worse to have whoever this is get their hands on it.”

 

“Right away, Miss Lewis.” All of the computers save her tablet went dead, but Darcy knew that JARVIS had a copy of everything on one of his most secure servers, hidden in the deepest, darkest recesses of the tower. No one but Tony knew how to reach it, both physically and virtually.

 

Once she had named lab assistant Julie as In Charge of Everything and locked the safe room, Darcy turned back to her Stark Pad and sat cross-legged behind a desk, calmly facing the lab doors, thanking every deity she could think of that Jane was out of the lab today, on a SCIENCE! field trip with Tony and Bruce, meaning that they were out of the line of fire and that they had taken at least 70% of the lab staff with them.

 

She heard running footsteps in the hall and let her fingers hover above her touch screen. There was a short scuffle outside the lab doors.

 

“The assailants are placing a small charge on the doors, Miss Lewis.”

 

“Thanks J.” Darcy ducked further behind the desk, making sure nothing was about to fly into her face or knock her tablet from her hands. A small _boom_ and the hiss of the doors sliding open announced the success of their plan. As armored men began streaming into the room, Darcy smiled wickedly and started tapping her screen.

 

The men walking through the doorway yelped as streams of pepper spray flew from jets concealed in the door frame. Some of them fell to the ground, tripping those behind them and others stumbled around blindly, covering their eyes.

 

Keeping a close eye on where people were stepping, Darcy began tapping on the squares that indicated her various floor shakers. She set them to a higher level than she used for dealing with an unruly Tony, throwing Faceless Bad Guys across the room instead of just making them a little unsteady on their feet. She heard the sickening crunch of at least one bone snapping and winced before remembering that these guys were attacking her and that she had every right to break a few legs/arms/ribs.

 

When they learned enough to start avoiding certain patches of floor, Darcy moved on. She let loose the smaller bots Tony had given her, programmed to trip or otherwise hamper the movement of anybody she wanted them to. While several attackers were occupied with those, she watched carefully before activating several of the trap doors in the ceiling, dropping loads of rocks on several unsuspecting heads. She cheered quietly as at least a few of them were knocked unconscious.

 

She knew that the beautiful chaos she was creating wouldn’t last long, so she searched carefully for someone to trap. She knew that if these guys were smart, they’d take all their injured with them, and she needed to leave Natasha somebody to interrogate. She narrowed her eyes, picking out one of the still functioning bots and using it to herd her chosen Bad Guy towards a certain wall panel. If he would just step a little bit more to the left…

 

With a triumphant cry, Darcy opened the wall and mechanical arms reached out to grab the man and haul him into what was essentially a small, soundproof closet. He wasn’t getting out of there unless somebody knew how to let him out and luckily, none of these guys did. Also luckily, no one appeared to have noticed he was gone. They were all too busy with their own personal nuisances.

 

As she predicted, however, her carefully orchestrated attack couldn’t last forever. Darcy felt a hand grab her ankle and cried out as she was dragged from her safe haven. She pulled her tablet with her and managed to hit one last button before it was wrenched out of her hands.

 

“Too late,” she told them. “I just fried it. You won’t be able to get control of anything in here.”

 

The Masked Bad Guy who’d dragged her out swore and threw the tablet aside. “Doesn’t matter anyway. It’s you we came for.” He grabbed her hair, forcing her head back.

 

“What do you mean me? I don’t know anything, I’m not worth anything!” Darcy lied, putting panic into her voice. It wasn’t hard.

 

“Nice try, but you’re close with all the Avengers and they’ll come for you. Besides, maybe while you’re with us, we can get you to spill some of those pretty little secrets about the bridge, huh? Be nice to have an alien army on call whenever we wanted.”

 

“If you think aliens will come at your beck and call, then you’re an idiot,” Darcy spit, crying out when he jerked her head back even further. “You don’t have anything to offer them,” she managed to say, even with her head bent back at such an unnatural angle.

 

“Well you better hope we find something, sweetheart, because it’s not gonna be fun for you if we don’t.”

 

Darcy rolled her eyes, despite her terror. “Oh gee, vague threats. Didn’t know that something bad was gonna happen to me! I thought you were just kidnapping me for funsies. Maybe a nice spa day.”

 

The man growled and pulled her up by her hair so she was kneeling instead of sprawled, and got right in her face. “You want me to get more specific, I can get more specific,” he told her quietly. Darcy knew immediately that this voice Meant Trouble. “But I think you can imagine well enough what’s in store for you. Now you shut that smart mouth of yours and come along real nice, and maybe we won’t have to resort to anything nasty. For now.”

 

Darcy’s lips thinned, but she nodded wordlessly, allowing the man to haul her to her feet and frog march her to the door. As they reached the doorway though, Darcy crouched, then jumped, slamming her head into the man’s chin and driving her free elbow into his gut. He swore and loosened his grip enough for her to wrench her arm out of his hold and make a break for the door, yanking her taser from her pocket as she went.

  
In the hall, she tased two people before they could even react to her presence, then chucked her now chargeless taser at a third person’s head. She made it to the stairs and had even yanked open the door before her head was slammed into the wall and she passed out.


	2. Somebody Woke Up on the Wrong Side of the Dungeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what's not fun? Waking up in a dungeon. Know what's worse? Being surrounded by assholes who want to torture you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this took so long. I couldn't figure out how to be menacing and villain-y. Here you go, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up much sooner. Look forward to some Sam Wilson in there. :D

When Darcy woke up, the world around her spun and she just wanted to curl into a ball and try to ignore the fact that she was laying on something hard and that there were manacles on her wrists attached to the wall, which clanked when she tried to curl into a ball and ok, ignoring this wasn’t working.

 

Darcy gave up on trying to distract herself and instead sat up, taking inventory of her condition. Other than her throbbing head, she didn’t seem to have any injuries. _Yet_ , whispered the pessimistic part of her brain, which she told to shut up. She raised her manacled hands to her right temple and winced as she touched the egg sized lump on her temple. Blood matted her hair and ran in dry streaks down her face, but it didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore. She took that and the fact that she was conscious as good signs.

 

Looking around, Darcy took in what little there was to see of her cell. There was no mattress, blanket, pillow or anything else that any normal person would use for sleeping. As she had already noted, she was chained to the wall with thick metal cuffs that bound her wrists together. The chain was thick and heavy, but long enough that she could move a good distance before it would yank her to a stop. There was a small hole in the corner that she assumed was for peeing, which was really just disgusting and how did they expect her to use it, anyway? She was lacking in certain equipment for aiming. The walls and floor were concrete and the door was metal, probably reinforced steel, with a very small window in it that let in some weak light. If she wasn’t a combination of pissed of and terrified, she might be flattered at the obvious security measures that had gone into her cell. Obviously, they either thought that she could do more damage than she could or they were expecting the big guns. Probably the latter, if she were being honest with herself.

 

Darcy heard movement outside and immediately slumped back to the floor, closing her eyes as the lock clicked and the door swung open.

 

“She’s still unconscious. Are you sure you didn’t damage her?”

 

“You idiot, she’s faking it.” Heavy footfalls made their way closer to her and she cried out as she was yanked upright by her hair, which pulled on the injured part of her skull. She very nearly proved Scar Face wrong by passing out again.

 

“Stop it,” a third voice commanded and the pressure immediately lessened. “I need her to be able to think and answer my questions.”

 

Darcy opened her eyes, squinting through the tears brought on by pain. In addition to Scar Face and some dude who looked like a nervous guard, there was a guy in a labcoat over a suit stalking towards her. He was normal looking, medium brown hair, brown eyes, not tall or short, cleanshaven. Darcy might have even thought he was kind of cute if he wasn’t obviously the reason she was here.

 

He stopped in front of her. “Miss Lewis.”

 

“Go fuck yourself,” she spat. She didn’t even see the hand coming. All of a sudden, she was looking to the side and her cheek hurt like hell.

 

“You will behave in my presence Miss Lewis,” the man said primly. He inspected his hand and frowned when he saw some of her blood on it. Pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket, he began to wipe it clean delicately. “As I was saying. You are going to tell us all you know about the portal being built by Jane Foster and Tony Stark and you are going to experience a great deal of pain if you do not. I know that your area of expertise lies outside this realm of science, but rest assured, mine does not. I will know if you attempt to feed me false information.”

 

“If this is your ‘area of expertise,’ why can’t you just figure out how to build a portal yourself?” Darcy ground out from between her teeth, expecting another slap. She breathed a little easier when it didn’t come.

 

“Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the data I need to complete a portal. Of the two known portal sites on earth, one is swarming with government agents and the other lies above the most well-protected tower on Earth. Well,” he paused to smile at her, “Perhaps less well protected than I thought.”

 

Darcy smiled sardonically. “Sure. Very brave and impressive, sending in your men when all of the Avengers are out of the building. Well done. I’m glad you’ve proved your prowess to me.”

 

His smile vanished instantly. “Take her to the interrogation room,” he snapped, whirling on his heel to stalk out of the room. “And don’t disturb me until you have information!” he yelled.

 

Scar Face grinned at her. “Come on Miss Lewis. The fun’s just about to start.” He leaned down to get in her face, so Darcy did the only thing she could think of.

 

She shot forward and bit him.

 

Scar Face yelled and tried to yank his face back, but Darcy had clamped down on his nose. She swung her manacled hands at his face, but he deflected her with one hand, shooting the other out to slam into her jaw. Her head snapped back and he pulled out of her range.

 

Darcy lowered her head back straight, spitting out blood and laughing. “You’re an idiot,” she told Scar Face gleefully. She knew she was an idiot herself for provoking him, but it was the only thing left that she could do.

 

A gasp left her lips when Scar Face yanked her back by her hair again. “I’d be careful how you spoke to me if I were you,” he growled. “I have a lot of power over how much this is going to hurt.”

 

Darcy managed a smile. “Do you want a gold star? Here’s a hint: power complexes aren’t attractive, seeing as they’re usually, ah… _compensation_.” She glanced downward, her meaning perfectly clear.

 

Scar Face’s mouth twisted into an ugly snarl and he yanked on her hair, making her wince in pain. “Oh, you’re going to regret that one girl. And once I’ve made you give up the information the boss wants, I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep making you scream until you don’t have any voice, and then I’m going to keep going until you get it back and you start singing for me again. And I’m not going to stop until you’re dead. The boss won’t begrudge me my fun as long as he gets what he wants.”

 

Darcy couldn’t help but shiver as Scar Face switched her manacles for handcuffs, because she could tell he was deadly serious. She couldn’t do anything but hold on and hope for now, but she had no idea how long she would last.

  
She hoped the Avengers got there soon.


	3. Don't Touch My Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A switch to Sam's POV as we get a glimpse of what's going on back at the Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long, my lovelies. College is hard.

_Brrrrrring. Brrrrrring. Brrrrrring._

 

Sam glanced down at his phone, taking one hand off the wheel to answer it. “Hey J, what’s up?”

 

“AFC Wilson, there has been an incident in the labs. I am notifying all the Avengers as we speak.”

 

Sam’s hand tightened on the wheel. “An incident? What happened, is Darcy ok?”

 

“A team of assailants gained access to the tower through a service entrance, then proceeded to the labs. Most of the lab staff were able to take cover in the safe room, however Miss Lewis remained in the lab in an attempt to fight them off. She was captured and taken away when the group left.”

 

Sam had consciously unclench his hand so he wouldn’t break the phone. He pushed the gas pedal closer to the floor. “I’m almost back, J. ETA, 10 minutes. Where is everybody else?”

 

“Sir is with Doctors Foster and Banner, on their way from the testing site in one of Sir’s private and, ah, _enhanced_ planes. They shall arrive within the half hour. Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton are returning from their most recent mission and will arrive at approximately the same time as yourself. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are already in the tower, having arrived a few moments ago. Prince Thor is off-planet, but I am working on contacting him.”

 

“Can you keep me from getting pulled over if I go speeds that are slightly illegal?”

 

“Of course, AFC Wilson.”

 

“Thanks J.”

 

Sam stepped harder on the gas pedal.

 

Eight and a half minutes later, he was screeching to a halt in Stark’s garage, out of the car almost before it was in park. He ran for the elevator, intercepting Nat and Clint as they rushed from a different part of the garage.

 

“You know as much as we do,” Nat said, cutting him off as he opened his mouth. They got Darcy, those-” She broke off into a litany of what Sam knew were insults, though he couldn’t even place the language.

 

“What is that, Swahili?” he asked Clint.

 

“Not even close,” he said with a tight smile. “You’d be surprised at how many creative insults she knows in Hindi.”

 

“JARVIS, emergency protocol six-one-oh,” Natasha snapped as they entered the elevator. She slammed the number for the common floor. “Brace yourselves,” she told the boys grimly, taking a firm hold of the railing. Sam followed suit, but was still nearly thrown to the ground as the elevator shot up at a speed that was probably highly dangerous.

 

It was less than a minute later when they arrived on the 89th floor. “I’m definitely not going to abuse that protocol,” Sam muttered as he stumbled out of the elevator. He braced himself on the back of the couch, trying to catch his balance as Steve and Bucky strode into the room. Bucky immediately went to Clint and Nat, trading rapidfire Russian in a way that almost made Sam sorry for Darcy’s captors.

 

Almost.

 

A hand dropped onto his shoulder. “You ok?” asked Steve.

 

“Yeah, man. The elevator just threw me off a little.”

 

“That’s not what I meant Sam. I’ve seen the way you look at Darcy.”

 

“What, the same way you look at Bucky when you think none of us are looking?” Sam asked with a grin.

 

Steve rolled his eyes. “The difference is that we’re actually dating, unlike you two. I know you like her and I know as much as this is hurting all of us, it’s hurting you too, in a different way. She’s not just family to you, she’s a future.”

 

Sam looked away, unable to meet the earnest sympathy in Steve’s eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s different. Which just means that we’re gonna get her back, no matter what.”

 

They were interrupted by the sound of the Iron Man suit on its landing pad. Sam saw Jane sitting on the ground with her head between her knees while Bruce calmly brushed off his slacks. Tony was already striding towards his penthouse as Bruce helped Jane to her feet. Thirty seconds later, the elevator opened to reveal the Scientist Three, as Darcy liked to call them.

 

“Took a shortcut from the plane to the Tower,” Tony explained. It was only because the Avengers knew him so well that they could detect his anger and fear. “Now we have to go save Lewis because she’s mine and I don’t like it when people take my stuff. What’s the plan?”

 

Sam suppressed the urge to tell Tony that Darcy didn’t belong to anyone because he knew this was the man’s way of expressing affection. “We find out where they took her and then we go get her and kill every last bastard involved.”

 

“How are we going to know where they took her?” Steve asked. “We can try tracking her phone, but I’m assuming if these guys were good enough to get into the Tower, they would have known to destroy her phone.”

 

Surprisingly, it was Jane who answered. “I know at least some of you know this, but Darcy had our lab booby trapped to kingdom come. There are ways that she could have trapped somebody.”

 

Natasha and Bucky shared a look, then sprinted for the elevator, with the rest of the team following. They made it down to the labs in record time.

 

“JARVIS, pull up the security feed for this lab from when Darcy was taken,” Steve ordered.

 

“Of course, Captain.”

 

The team watched the video on the wall silently until the camera was taken out by one of the men.

 

“Kid did some serious damage,” Tony said respectfully.

  
“More importantly,” Natasha said, stalking over to the section of wall where they’d watched one of the thugs disappear. The wall slid open at her approach, revealing a terrified man still tangled in metal arms. “She left us a prisoner. And he’s going to tell us where they have Darcy.”


	4. Cheater, Cheater, Darcy Defeater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy's captors are totally cheating because that is not how we were playing this game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, yeah, I got no excuse for how long this one took. A warning for somebody getting cut, but that's about it in violence.

Darcy sprawled in a heap on the floor of her cell and tried not move because moving hurt. Not that staying still didn’t also hurt, but at least it hurt _less_.

 

She hated Scar Face with a passion. A passion-y passion full of the fire of a thousand suns and the desire to sic Natasha on him. She wouldn’t mind if Bucky and Thor got in on it too. Also the Hulk. And then they could go beat up Douchey McDoucherson who was the mastermind of this whole stupid plot in the first place.

 

Darcy could confidently say that she had not been prepped for torture. Like, at all. And it hurt like everything she hadn’t been expecting and more, but she was damn proud of the way she was holding her own. Even though she had been in this stupid dungeon so long she couldn’t keep track of the days, Darcy hadn’t given them a damn thing.

 

Well, she’d given them a lot of screams and writhing and some begging that she wasn’t proud of, but she hadn’t given them any of the information they were looking for. Although she had absorbed much more of the science mumbo jumbo than anyone except maybe Jane had realized, she hadn’t given Douche Canoe and his Scarred Thug any of it. It helped that they didn’t seem to be expecting much in the first place.

 

Idiots.

 

The door opened again and Darcy groaned, not even bothering to turn towards the sound. It was probably Scar Face again, here to drag her to a fresh round of torture. At least he’d stopped enjoying it when he’d realized she wasn’t giving him anything.

 

“Miss Lewis, I hope you understand that you are becoming quite an annoying thorn in my side. And I _don’t. Like. Delays._ ”

 

Darcy froze. _That wasn't Scar Face._

 

A hand in her hair yanked her up and turned her face toward the door. She managed to turn her scream into more of a startled yelp, staring up into the face of Douche-In-Charge.

 

“Hey, long time no see,” she managed flippantly, even though it felt like she was being scalped because of his grip in her hair and her body was protesting the awkward twist it was being forced into. “Did you manage to sort out your little mental block, genius, or are you still waiting on the advice of a 25 year old Poli Sci major who never even graduated?” A gasp left her lips as he twisted his fistful of her hair.

 

“I am not amused by your banter, Miss Lewis. Come with me, I have something I want you to see.” He didn’t really leave her much choice in the matter, as he kept his grip on her hair, forcing her to scramble to her feet and stumble along after him or be dragged by her hair until it came out. The awkward half-crouched shamble was in no way something that Darcy wanted to do, but it was better than the alternative.

 

_You no-good, floor licking, goat fucking, shittastic son of a bilgesnipe. I hope Thor punts you into the fucking SUN. You are more aggravating than the combination of a misogynistic fuckboy and a ‘nice guy’ brony. Fucking DILDO. I hope you choke on a spork and Chihuahuas devour your still living flesh._

 

“You see,” said Douche Canoe, interrupting Darcy’s mental litany of abuse. Dammit, she was using that to distract herself; instead, she stared at the corner where the wall met the floor. "Sullivan just wasn’t getting through to you.” She guessed that Sullivan was Scar Face. She was still going to call him whatever she wanted, but she filed away the name for future reference. “So we decided that you needed some extra… motivation. Caroline, darling, lift your face so your sister can see you.”

 

Darcy’s head whipped up. She was looking through a two-way mirror like she was in some sort of cop drama, only instead of a stubborn suspect on the other side of the glass, Darcy was staring into the terrified eyes of her bound and gagged baby sister. Standing behind her was Scar Face, looking positively and sadistically gleeful.

 

“You bastard, she’s only 17,” Darcy whispered, collapsing to the floor. It felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her. Caroline was still in high school, her mind babbled at her. She had just been accepted to Columbia, and Darcy had been so, so careful to keep her out of the shitstorm that was her life so that Caroline would have a chance at a good future. It seems she wasn’t careful enough.

 

“Ah ah ah, careful Miss Lewis. Now isn’t the best time to be insulting me. Sullivan, a little reminder for Miss Lewis?”

 

“No!” But Scar Face was pulling out a knife and Caroline was jerking against the ropes that bound her, eyes wide in panic. Scar Face grabbed her chin tightly, holding her face still as he drew the knife down her cheek slowly. Darcy had to watch her sister’s eyes close in pain, powerless to stop it.

 

No. Almost. _Almost_ powerless to stop it.

 

“Stop!” she gasped, looking up at Douche Canoe. “Stop, stop.” He looked down at her and must have seen the defeat in her face because he smiled at her smugly.

 

“Yes, Miss Lewis?”

 

Darcy closed her eyes. _This is so much bigger than either of us,_ she argued with herself. _Both of our lives aren’t worth trading the safety of the entire planet._

 

Caroline doesn’t deserve this! another part of her cried. _She isn’t a part of this fight, she doesn’t deserve this pain_.

 

_Is the safety of the world really worth the well-being of two girls straight off the farm in Texas?_

 

Even as she thought it, Darcy knew that she had already made her decision. It had been made from the moment she yelled for Scar Face to stop. She opened her eyes to stare at their captor in defeat.

  
“What do you want to know?”


	5. Cat and Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the Avengers after Natasha's had time to... 'get to know' the present Darcy left her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another long wait guys. I got no excuse for this one, BUT, as consolation, have two chapters. :D Sorry this one's also ultra short.

Natasha shut the door to the interrogation room, a feral grin on her face. Sam pushed off the wall where he had been leaning, waiting for her to finish, on and off for the past two days.

 

“I’d ask if you got it, but since I can practically see yellow feathers around your mouth, I’ll just ask where instead.”

 

“They have her in a base on Madagascar,” Natasha answered. Sam fell into step with her as she stalked past to the room where the rest of the Avengers were waiting, ready to go. “Those коза лохи took her to try to get information on the wormhole that opened above the Tower during the Chitauri invasion.”

 

“Fuck,” Sam breathed. “I know she knows more than she lets on, but there’s no way she knows enough to actually open another wormhole.”

 

“And they won’t stop until they have the information they want, which she can’t give them,” Natasha agreed with a grimace as they strode into the meeting room together. She held up her hands to quiet the instant uproar. “They have her in Madagascar,” she repeated. “The guy Darcy caught doesn’t know exactly where, or I’d have had it out of him by now, but it’s somewhere in the jungle.”

 

“Jane got a call while you were out,” Steve said grimly. “Apparently, Darcy’s sister, Caroline never made it home from work last night. Mrs. Lewis wanted to know if Darcy had heard from her.”

 

Sam sucked a breath in through his teeth. Hard enough to have your best friend missing, but to have to be the one to tell her mother?

 

A low growl from the corner made Sam turn his head to see Bucky, arms crossed, glaring at the wall. “They took her for leverage,” he grated. “Bet you Darcy wasn’t givin’ them a damn thing, so they decided they’d grab someone else, threaten them to make her talk. Those-” He descended into a stream of rapid-fire Russian that was obviously not complimentary.

 

“We need to go, now, and start looking,” Clint said, folding his bow with a snap and hanging it from his belt. “Even in a Quinjet, it will still take us about 17 hours to get to Madagascar, let alone search the whole freaking island for a base.”

 

“Let us leave at once, then,” Thor said, hefting Mjolnir. “I hate to think of Darcy and her sister in the hands of these men any longer than they have to be.”

 

Tony nodded. “Katniss, you got a jet lined up?”

 

“Been out on the tarmac for 3 hours,” Clint confirmed. “Nat and I can take turns flying.”

 

Steve stood up, slipping from concerned friend to Captain-in-charge so fast that it almost gave Sam whiplash. He’d seen it happen before, but it still startled him every time. “Good. Stark, Thor, you’re both in the jet with the rest of us. It’s too far for you to fly outside. Stark, can JARVIS scan the island for potential sites of the base?”

 

“Captain, if I may? I have been running what scans I can from aerial satellites since Agent Romanoff announced Miss Lewis’s location. I have identified seven possible sites for a secluded base.”

 

“Thank you JARVIS. We’ll just have to hit them one by one unless we get a definite lock on Darcy’s location. All right everybody, move out.”

 

As everyone jogged out to the plane, Sam sent up a prayer to God or Odin or whoever was listening that they’d find Darcy before it was too late.

 

“Hold on, baby girl, we’re coming for you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Google Translate, 'коза лохи' means 'goat fuckers.'


	6. Let's Blow This Popsicle Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is beyond pissed and she's ready to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, the second half of the update! (I am not actually Southern, let alone Texan, so if anything Darcy and Caroline say sounds weird, it's due to the ice water that runs deep in my Northern veins. No offense to any Texans out there! <3)

_Well, at least that wasn’t an_ utter _failure_ , Darcy thought as she was dumped in her cell once more. The door slammed and she allowed herself one shit-eating grin.

 

Dr. McDouchePants thought he was being clever, bringing Caroline into this, but if he had bothered doing his research, he would have noticed that Darcy fought her hardest when she had someone to protect. When it was just her in evil hands, Darcy knew it was better to wait for help to arrive. Natasha had beaten it into her head that she was probably never going to be able to get herself out without causing even more trouble, but to be honest, Darcy hadn’t needed the lesson. She was practical and she knew that, alone, her only goal was to survive long enough for a rescue.

 

That went out the window as soon as she saw Caroline, because while she accepted the fact that it was better for her to wait when she was by herself, there was no way she was going to let anyone do to her baby sister what had been done to her.

 

Pressing a hand to her ribs on her left side, which hurt like a sackful of bricks had been dropped on them, Darcy sat up and propped herself up against the wall, sliding her hand into her jeans pocket. Stashed inside were all the things she had managed to lift off various, unsuspecting guards on her way back to her cell. She would have to remember to thank Clint for the pickpocketing lessons; it really paid off to have a former carnie teach you how to steal.

 

Pulling out her treasures, she took inventory. She had three bobby pins (she always had some in her hair, even when it was loose: thanks Natasha!), a quarter, a clicky pen, a stick of gum, and, the golden catch, a key card on a lanyard.

 

Darcy grabbed one of the bobby pins, stripping it with her fingernails. Into the lock on her manacles it went. It took a frustratingly long time for her to pick the lock, and Bucky would have probably yelled at her if it had been a practice run, but Darcy figured that she was allowed a pass given how much her hands were shaking.

 

Eventually, however, the lock popped open and she slipped the stupid things off, rubbing at her wrists to get all the blood flowing again. Scooping up her small haul, she shoved everything in her pocket, keeping the pen open and in her hand. Trying the door, she snorted when she found that it was unlocked.

 

“Shoddy,” she whispered to herself, although a) they probably hadn’t expected her to be able to pick the locks on her manacles and b) the people who were coming to rescue her wouldn’t exactly be deterred by a locked door.

 

Carefully, Darcy eased the door open. No guards on her door either. Then again, she supposed that would have made which room she was being kept in fairly obvious. Still, she shook her head. She’d come up with better plans for a secret base on her _lunch break_. (Yes, Jane, there totally _does_ need to be a Starbucks in her secret lair. Coffee makes for a happy Darcy and for happy minions.)

 

Luckily for her, Darcy didn’t encounter anyone on her way back to the room where she’d last seen Caroline. Doubly lucky, no one had come to move her yet. _Probably more convenient to only drag one of us back and forth_ , Darcy thought bitterly, pressing the intercom button. “Caroline?”

 

Caroline’s head whipped up to stare at the glass she couldn’t see through. “Darcy?”

 

Darcy could have cried. “Yeah, li’l sis, it’s me.”

 

“‘M not little, ‘m taller’n you,” Caroline replied with a ragged grin, completing their usual greeting.

 

“Yeah, yeah, stuff it.” Some of her Southern drawl seeped back into Darcy’s voice in her relief. She’d picked up a northern accent when she was surrounded by nothing but at school, but her twang would always feel like home. Glancing around, she saw a chair, probably for whoever was observing the “interrogations.” “I’m gonna need you to close your eyes and turn your head to the side, honey,” she told Caroline, shoving the pen in her pocket for the moment.

 

As her sister complied, Darcy hoisted the chair into the air and slammed it into the glass. Weak as she was, it only cracked the stuff, so she drew back for another hit. The crack widened, but the glass still held.

 

“Well. Third time’s the charm,” Darcy said grimly and drew the chair back again. This time, the glass _did_ shatter, leaving her grinning wildly in an empty frame. “You know, I’m really glad third time _was_ the charm, else I’d’ve felt really stupid.” Caroline just rolled her eyes in response, though Darcy could tell she was dangerously close to panicking.

 

“Just get me outta here, you can be dramatic later.”

 

“Roger that.” Darcy hopped, as much as she was able, through the empty frame, treading carefully over the broken glass. Caroline was tied with rope, not cuffed, but the knots weren’t too tight for her to jab at with the pen, loosening them enough to slip the bindings off. Darcy was almost knocked off balance when Caroline launched herself at her in a hug, and she _did_ hiss in pain at the pressure on her various cuts and bruises.

 

“Hugs later, Baby Bear, we hafta get outta here first.”

 

“Yeah, ‘course.” Darcy watched her sister as she took a step back, wiping at the tears that had finally started leaking out. She saw Caroline take a deep breath and visibly collect herself, straightening her spine and looking Darcy in the eye. “Right. What’s the plan?”

 

Darcy handed Caroline the lanyard, though she kept the card once attached to it in her pocket. “Take this and hope you don’t have to use it to strangle somebody,” she said grimly. "Other than that? Run."

 


	7. Breaking Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Great Escape Plan (Or Lack Thereof) rolls into motion.

Darcy helped Caroline climb through the broken glass once again, pausing before the closed door. “I don’t suppose you remember how they brought you here?” she asked hopefully.

 

Caroline shook her head. “I was unconscious. Drugged.”

 

“Rat bastards,” Darcy muttered under her breath. “Ok,” she said, louder. “We’re just gonna have to hope we get lucky or find a ‘you are here’ map.” She didn’t want to think about what would happen if they _didn’t_ get lucky.

 

“Well, they’d- they’d probably put us in the center, right? Harder to break out?”Caroline’s voice was hesitant, but Darcy could have kissed her for keeping her head.

 

“Probs. Good jod li’l sis. Right, if anyone comes at you with a knife, just try and shove their arms to either side. If the come at you with a gun, run in a zig zag, unpredictable. If I get caught, leave me.” Caroline started to protest, but Darcy cut her off, looking her in the eye seriously. “I can handle whatever they throw at me and they’ll need me alive once they figure out that all the data I just fed them was false. I know enough about the science to fake it on the surface, but once Douche Nozzle takes a closer look, he’ll realize that the numbers don’t add up. I know it’s hard to hear, but they don’t need you alive Caroline and they _will kill you._ I’m not letting that happen, and I have the cavalry coming for me. You need to promise me that if they get me, but you can still run, that you will leave me and run.”

 

“Darcy, I can’t-”

 

_“Promise me, Caroline.”_

 

Caroline sighed. “I- I promise.”

 

Darcy pulled her into a gentle hug. “Thank you.” Pulling back, she grinned. “Now let’s blow this popsicle stand.” Slipping back to the door, she eased it open a crack. A guard wandered into view and she froze until he’d strolled past. When the sound of his footsteps faded, Darcy opened the door the rest of the way, following after him and motioning Caroline into silence.

 

Darcy’s hope was that this guy was heading somewhere important, or at least that she and Caroline would be between patrols. She noticed cameras in the hallways, however, and knew that she needed to take care of those first, before they were spotted.

 

Glancing around, Darcy spotted a side hallway that was a bit dimmer than the main hall. It looked like a promising area for an electrical room, so she motioned Caroline to follow her. Tapping her security card on the first door, she opened it to see a broom closet. Darcy shook her head and moved on.

 

About to open the second door, she was startled as it opened in her face instead. Darcy and the guard stared at each other for a second in shock before they both exploded into movement.

 

Darcy ducked the woman’s initial punch, but unfortunately, she was just buying time to pull the knife in her belt on the girls.

 

_Fuuuuuuuck,_ Darcy thought, but she used what Nat had taught her shoving the woman’s attack to the side and jabbing the pen into her neck. The woman went down, obviously surprised and Darcy dropped her knee onto the woman’s throat with all her weight.

 

“I-I think you just killed her,” Caroline said after a moment of silence.

 

“Yeah, I think I did,” Darcy said, shaken. “But I had to. C’mon.” She shoved all her feelings into the back corner of her mind. _Later, later, I will deal with that LATER._ She pulled the pistol out of the holster at the dead guard’s hip.

 

They were lucky and the door did lead to the control room for the cameras. They were even luckier and there was only one goon, a boy with brown skin that looked only a little older than Caroline.

 

The click of Darcy turning the safety off on her pistol caught his attention and he squeaked as he turned around, shooting his hands up. Darcy took a moment to remember that she probably looked more that a little crazy, with her hair in a rat’s nest and blood still caking one side of her face. She mentally shrugged. _All the better to intimidate you with, my dear._

 

“The cameras. Turn them off,” she ordered and the boy scrambled for the controls with shaking hands. “Don’t do anything else.” He nodded frantically, and the monitors on the wall clicked off one by one.

 

“Please don’t kill me,” he whimpered when he was finished, his English heavily accented. “They took me from my village, they threatened my family, please.”

 

Darcy considered him. He did seem honestly terrified and he had done exactly what she asked. “What’s your name?”

 

“O-Onja.”

 

“Do you know how to get out of here Onja?” He nodded frantically. “Right, come with us then. Show us the way out and we’ll get you back to your family.”

 

“But they will hurt them-”

 

“Onja, have you heard of the Avengers?” He nodded again. “They’re coming to help us. They’ll destroy the base and everyone in it to get me back, so you either need to leave or get pummeled.”

 

His eyes widened in a way that would have been comical if they weren’t in a seriously deadly situation. “Ok. But there are others here, others that are only afraid. They take us to make our families behave, they threaten our families to make us cooperate.”

 

Darcy thought for a moment, glancing at Caroline, who had remained silent so far, staring at her sister. She knew a little bit what that sort of manipulation felt like. “Is there a way you can contact the others who don’t want to be here?” she asked, finally lowering the gun.

 

Onja nodded. “The people in charge, they think we don’t know anything. But all of the locals have two radios, one for them and one for us.” He pulled a radio out of his belt. “What do you want me to tell them?”

 

Darcy grinned. “Tell them to fuck up whatever they can, then make a break for it. We’re going full on revolt here.”

 

Onja’s eyes lit up in response to her own enthusiasm and he let out a stream of… whatever language he spoke… into the radio. (Darcy should probably ask where they were, that would narrow down the language juuuuuust a bit.)

 

When she did ask, Darcy was surprised to learn that they were in Madagascar. “Really? Not the first place I would have thought. Probably why there’s a secret base here though. Anyway, let’s get out of here.”

 

Taking point, Onja lead them through the hallways, ducking into other rooms whenever they heard someone coming. Eventually, though they reached a point where there were too many people to avoid.

 

“Fuuuuuuuuuuck, I was really hoping to avoid this. Onja, do you see any of your people out there?”

 

Onja peeked around the corner before shaking his head. “No, no one I know is out there.”

 

“How far is it to the exit?”

 

“Through that door, there is a garage. We can leave from there.” He pointed to a door across the mass intersection of hallways and to their left.

 

“Alright both of might want to cover your ears and shut your eyes for a sec, then we’re gonna make a run for it.”

 

Caroline’s eyes widened when Darcy pulled out a flash grenade. “Where did you even get that?”

 

“I checked the body of the guard again as we left. Shut your eyes Caroline.” When her sister did as she was told, Darcy sent up a prayer to whoever was listening and chucked the flashbang around the corner, whipping back around to cover her own eyes and ears.

 

They heard the muffled explosion and sprinted around the corner, pushing dazed guards out of the way. Caroline reached the door first, whipping it open and Darcy sprinted through. She heard a muffled explosion in the distance and gunfire much closer as she dropped and rolled behind a Jeep. The other two followed and she took a moment to focus and breathe.

 

“They can’t get a clear shot on us here, so we’re going in through the trunk.” She popped the trunk door and took a moment to hope that this Jeep had a little bit more armor than it was sold with. They crawled over the seats and Darcy took the driver’s seat, locking the doors as Caroline closed the hatch behind her.

  
“Thank you for small favors,” she muttered when she saw keys already in the ignition. Cranking the car to life, she threw it into drive and stomped on the gas. Onja was typing a code frantically into the keypad set in the dash and Darcy aimed for the doors that were opening in response. Another, louder explosion rocked the garage and Darcy grinned, knowing that pursuit was unlikely. They burst through the open doors at top speed, heading down a dirt road into the surrounding jungle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not nearly as long a wait! And yes, it is possible to defeat someone with a knife using a pen. There's a howcast. http://www.howcast.com/videos/511203-how-to-use-a-pen-as-a-weapon-self-defense/


	8. Damsel, Not In Distress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers arrive on-scene, only to find chaos already in action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *peeks head out* ...hi. I have no excuse for how long this took, but here I go anyway. Life just kind of happened all over me and I lost my muse for a bit, but here I am! I promise this isn't abandoned.
> 
> Note: I changed JARVIS to address Sam as "AFC Wilson" for Airman First Class, because I can't find a better title for what Sam would be, and I didn't want to ignore his deserved honorific.

“Agent Barton, if I may?”

 

Everyone’s head whipped toward Clint in the cockpit as JARVIS’s voice resonated from the speakers. Natasha, who Sam could have sworn was asleep five seconds ago, was suddenly next to Clint, leaning towards the display on the screen.

 

“Go ahead JARVIS,” Clint said, nodding.

 

“My sensors are indicating several explosions a few miles to the northwest, near one of the areas I earlier identified as a potential base site.”

 

“That sounds like our girl,” Bucky said with a smirk. “Get out big an’ loud an’ destructive.”

 

“JARVIS, take us to the site,” ordered Tony. Clint relinquished the controls, coming to the body of the Quinjet with everyone else to suit up and double check his weapons. Sam pulled the pack with his wings onto his back, tightening and double checking the straps to make sure they were snug. He checked the clips on his guns before reholstering them and standing near the drop door with Tony and Thor.

 

“We are close enough to the site for Sir, Prince Thor, and AFC Wilson to exit the plane,” announced JARVIS.

 

“Alright, lower the door,” ordered Tony, dropping his faceplate into place. As soon as there was a big enough gap, he was out door, blasting towards the site. Sam waited until the door was low enough to get a running start, feeling the wind from Thor’s spinning hammer as he launched himself out the hatch, wings unfolding in mid-air to catch him.

 

The base was large, but not immediately evident from the air. It would have been well camouflaged, if not for the huge smoking hole in the southeast quadrant. People were streaming everywhere, trying to ferry the injured away from the blast site. Still more were vanishing into the jungle around them, chased by bullets. Sam let them go and focused on the shooters.

  
“I don’t think so,” he muttered to himself, unholstering his guns. He swooped and spun, giving himself clear shots at the flashes that told him where the gunfire was coming from. He heard yells as more than a few guns were silenced. He barely registered Tony in the air with him or Thor landing next to the jet, spewing angry Avengers. He just focussed on the next target and the next and the next, killing the men who dared harm Darcy and her sister.

 

Sam lost track of time as they cleared the base, confirming what he already knew; Darcy wasn’t there.

“She got out,” Steve said, clapping him on the shoulder. “She’s a tough lady, and she wouldn’t let something as small as this stop her,” he added with a grin.

 

Sam had to grin in response. “She  _ would _ call this small, too.”

 

“We’ll find her,” Natasha added, coming up beside her. “There are a lot of places to hide in the jungle, but she’s smart. She’ll get out, attempt contact.”

 

“So all we can do is wait?”

 

She looked him in the eyes. “At this point, yes. Darcy is rescuing herself.” A small smile quirked her lips up. “We just have to wait for her to call for a ride.”

 

~*~

 

It was over an hour before Darcy called. Five different avengers all leapt for the Quinjet phone at once when JARVIS announced, “Re-routing a call from Miss Lewis.” Bucky reached the phone first and slammed the button for speaker phone.

 

“Doll? You ok?”

 

“Hi, is this the Avengers taxi service? I need a lift.” Darcy’s voice sounded tired and shaken, but not as awful as he might expect from six days of being kidnapped. Sam felt like he was pulling out of a steep dive at the last second.

 

A low chuckle swept the Quinjet. “Sure thing, kiddo? Where are you?” asked Tony.

 

“Some place called Marovoay. It’s off Route Nationale 44. In Madagascar, but I was kind of hoping you’d already gotten that memo.”

 

“Jeez, Darce, what kinda superheroes do you think we are?” asked Clint as he lifted off. “We’re over the ruins of the base that you exploded right now. We can be there in 15 minutes.”

 

“As much as I’d love to take credit, I didn’t blow up the base. Captain VonDouche, Esquire was extorting locals to work for him by threatening their families. Well, I use “locals” loosely, since he was in BFE rainforest land, but the point still stands. Anyway, they had been planning a rebellion for months. I just happened to be the asshole who messed up the timing. Kind of at gunpoint, but I think Onja’s over that, aren’t you Onja?” There was a muffled reply in the background that might have been an assent.

 

“We’ll be there in a few, Darce. You just hang in there, ok?” Sam said, finally piping up.

 

“Yeah, I think I have a few more minutes left in me. But then I’m eating a huge cheeseburger and going to sleep for three weeks.”

  
Sam laughed and sat back in his seat. “Sure thing, babydoll. Sure thing.”


	9. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang meets up with Darcy and quickly reassure themselves of her safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a day because they're short and because I was gone for so long.

When the Quinjet landed outside the tiny collection of buildings, Darcy was waiting with Caroline and Onja. The others stepped aside to let Thor rush out first. The god was by her side like, well, lightning, checking her over.

 

“You have been injured, lightning-sister, but I’m glad to see you safe on the whole.”

 

“Well they weren’t exactly going for gentle, Big Guy,” she said, wincing from Thor’s gentle inspection. “Thor, may I present my sister, Caroline Lewis? Caroline, this is Thor. Thor Odinson, Crown Prince of Asgard, God of Thunder, Hammer-Thrower, Lightning Caller, the Scion of all Asgard, if you want the full titles. I memorized them.” So sue her, she got bored at work.

 

“It is a pleasure to meet one of my lightning-sister’s mighty house,” said Thor, taking Caroline’s hand and kissing it. She mostly looked shell shocked.

 

“A pleasure,” she repeated, making a small, and from what Darcy could tell, fairly proper curtsey. “I’m sorry, I can’t quite tell if I’ve reached my limit of impossible yet today. Is that the Black Widow?”

 

Darcy leaned over to look around Thor’s enormous biceps. “Yep,” she said popping the ‘p.’

 

Caroline let out an absurd giggle. “God, this is the weirdest day ever.”

 

Shrugging, Darcy stepped around Thor to meet the others as the stepped out of the plane. “You get kind of used to weird with this lot,” she called over her shoulder. Turning back around, she oofed as she was suddenly caught in a super soldier sandwich. “Hey, it’s ok guys, I’m right here, I’m alright.”

 

“Thought we’d lost ya, Darce,” Bucky muttered into her hair as they both let it sink in that she was there, and ok.

 

“Nah, it’d take more than a few jack booted thugs and some light torture to take me out,” she said, earning a watery chuckle from Steve as they both stepped back, apparently satisfied that she was real and alive and fairly ok.

 

“Lewis,” said Tony as he touched down a few feet away. “Glad you didn’t die. It’s such a pain to replace good assistants.”

 

“Anthony Edward Stark, did you just give me a compliment?” Darcy asked, grinning. Tony muttered something and looked away, punching her gently in the shoulder before flying back to the Quinjet, presumably to get out of his armor. Darcy looked over his shoulder and waved to Bruce, who was in the jet, recovering from the recent rampage of the Big Guy.

 

Natasha ghosted up while she was looking away, though she caught the older woman’s movement out of the corner of her eye. A courtesy on Nat’s part, she was sure. “Good job,  кошечка. I’m proud of you.”

 

Darcy nearly glowed. It wasn’t that Nat was sparing with praise, it was that she only said it when she really meant it. Darcy was proud to have earned the compliments. She caught Nat, and Clint, who was hovering behind her, in a tight hug. “I knew you guys would come for me,” she murmured. She felt Nat petting her hair.

 

“Of course,” was all she said.

 

“Anywhere,” added Clint. “Although I’d prefer the Bahamas next time.”

 

That pulled a laugh out of Darcy. “You and me both, Birdbrain.” Releasing her spysassins, she craned her neck, looking for the one team member she hadn’t yet seen. Natasha chuckled and turned her slightly so she could catch sight of Sam.

 

He looked awful, like he hadn’t slept for the whole time Darcy had been gone, but a huge smile broke out across his face when Darcy caught his eye, and he pushed off from where he’d been leaning against the Quinjet, partially hidden, and headed her way. Darcy felt a matching grin spread across her own face as she broke away from Clint and Nat. It surprised her to realize that as much as she missed everyone else, it was Sam that she was most looking forward to seeing again, hugging, kiss-

 

_ Wait, what? _

  
As she headed towards Sam, however, the days of constant strain started to catch up with her and the adrenaline began to wear off. Darcy stumbled over her own feet as a wave of tiredness swept over her. One more step and she knew what was about to happen. She only had the time to utter the word “Fuck,” before her knees buckled, her eyes rolled back in her head, and a now-familiar blackness crashed over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, did you think they were going to get to kiss right here? *wicked grin*


	10. So Kiss Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Sam finally get a chance to talk one on one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm alive and finally here to give this story the wrap-up it deserves! Sorry it took me so long, and thank you if any of y'all are still around.

“Who’s a girl gotta do for a glass of water around here?”

 

The harsh croak startled Sam awake from where he was stretched out in the actually comfortable (thanks Tony) bedside chairs in Darcy’s med bay room. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he took a moment to process what she’d said.

 

“I think it’s usually ‘what,’ not ‘who,’ Darce,” he told her, handing over the water bottle he’d left on the table. She shot him a little grin, not nearly as cocky he’d seen before, but definitely with a good bit of sass.

 

“Not with you sitting there looking like that,” she told him, toasting him with the water bottle before taking a long pull while he rolled his eyes at her.

 

“Slow down there, it’s not going anywhere,” Sam told her with a grin.

 

“Yeah, well I don’t think I’ve had water for like two days,” she shot back, sticking her tongue out. Sam just froze at the reminder.

 

“God Darce.” He ran a hand over his hair, focussing on the blanket over hip instead of looking her in the face. “I am so-”

 

“Samuel Thomas Wilson, if the next word out of your mouth is ‘sorry,’ I swear to Thor that I will dump the rest of this water bottle on your lap.” He just shrugged, still staring guiltily at the blanket.  _ If only they- if only  _ _ he _ _ had been there sooner, she wouldn’t have suffered as much. And he had seen the medical scans. She had suffered. _ A light knock on his temple brought him out of his own head. “Yo, Sam-I-Am, come back down to Earth.”

 

“When I heard you were gone… When we watched the footage from the lab… Darce, the only other time I’ve ever felt like that was when I had to watch Riley fall out of the sky.” Darcy froze at the mention of Sam’s former partner (and former  _ partner; _ they’d had a heart-to-heart one night). He gave a humorless chuckle. “Felt like all my insides were tied to him, yanked out and down along with him. Same feeling watching you get taken.” He let out another chuckle, this one with a little more life. “Though I’m proud of you for giving ‘em hell on your way.”

 

Darcy grinned at him. “Well I wasn’t just about to sit quietly while they- while- while they-” Her eyes widened and her breathing accelerated rapidly as tears started flowing down her cheeks. “While they- while they,” she kept repeating.

 

“Darce. Darcy! Take some deep breaths for me baby girl, come on. In and out.” Darcy leaned forward to drop her head between her knees and Sam could tell that she was trying to comply. He put a hand on her back, knowing that she often touched people to help ground herself. “Breathe with me,” he told her gently, taking exaggeratedly deep and loud breaths and feeling the rhythm of her back rising and falling settle into something more even.

 

“Ok. Ok, I’m a little better. Thanks Sam.” Darcy slowly lifted herself into a sitting position, hesitating a second before scooting to the far side of the bed and holding out her arm, an invitation.

 

“Hey, no need to ask me twice,” he told her with a smile, toeing off his shoes before settling in beside her and letting her snuggle into his side. They sat in silence for a while, Darcy with her eyes closed, Sam staring at the wall across from him. “I almost lost you Darce,” he whispered finally, feeling her tilt her head up to look at him, but continuing to stare blankly at the wall. “I almost lost and I was so- so  _ scared _ and  _ angry _ . When we didn’t find you at the base… I know you’re smart and competent and one badass lady—” Darcy chuckled “—but waiting for you to call for a ride… It felt like  _ days _ . And the whole time, I was worried that you were lost in the jungle, or that you’d died in the explosions, or that we were wrong the whole time, and this was never the base you were on in the first place. It was terrifying.”

 

“Sam, I’m so-”

 

“If I can’t say it, you can’t say it.”

 

Darcy stuck out her tongue, but switched veins. “I would have stayed put, but— those bilgesnipe fuckers took my  _ sister, _ Sam, my  _ baby sister _ .”

 

“Oh, hey, no,” he looked down to meet her eyes, jostling her shoulder lightly. “I’m not blaming you, not at all. I’m just trying to say… that I would have been devastated, if I’d never had the chance.”

 

“The chance to do what, Mr. Wilson?” Darcy asked, looking up at him with what Sam hoped he was reading correctly as hope in her eyes.

 

“This,” he said, leaning forward, telegraphing his intentions clearly and giving her the chance to refuse, if she wanted to.

 

Instead, she surged up and met him halfway, kissing him desperately and with full knowledge of the chance they almost lost. When she pulled back, her eyes were shining and Sam knew that they had danced around the feeling for too long. About to lean forward again, he was startled when, without looking away, Darcy waved a hand and said, in a teasing tone, “Clint, you might as well come out here, I know you’ve been awake for at least three minutes.”

 

Sam started, and looked at the door, only for the vent on the opposite wall to pop off and a sheepish Clint to swing his way out. “Dude,” he said, looking at Clint with vague disapproval. “We were having a moment.”

 

“Sorry,” the archer replied, rubbing at the back of his neck. I, uh… I took my hearing aides out when you started talking? I couldn’t find a good time to slip out without someone with freakishly good vent senses noticing,” he added, glaring without heat at Darcy.

 

Darcy just rolled her eyes. “The rest of you can also come in,” she added, raising her voice. “I know not all of you were as polite as Clinton, who at least tried not to pay attention. As such, he is the only one with access to my cookies for the next week.”

 

“Awwww Darce,” came two voices with suspiciously familiar Brooklyn accents.

 

Sam’s eyebrows nearly met his hairline as the door to the room swung open to reveal a gaggle of people, of whom only Caroline and Steve bothered to look embarrassed to have been caught spying.

 

“We’ve had talks about spying without permission,” Darcy reminded Bucky and Natasha pointedly. They both fidgeted, and  _ wow _ , Sam had been picked by the right woman. She could even nudge the spysassins into remorse.

 

Tony, of course, just breezed right in. “If it makes you feel better, Bruce told us off before he and Thor left to wait for you to call. Which I told them was a waste of time, but whatever.”

 

“J-man, you can call them back, and Janey, if she’s around,” Darcy said, glancing at JARVIS’s nearest camera.

 

“Of course, Miss Lewis. And may I say, it’s a pleasure having you back.”

 

Darcy grinned softly. “I’m happy to see you too, J.”

 

With the addition of Thor, Bruce, and Jane, the room was pretty crowded, but Sam thought that it was doing Darcy good. The nurse shooed them all off to the side when he came in to check on Darcy, but they all just reformed around her as soon as he left.

 

“And you’re really ok, Caroline?” Darcy asked her sister for the fifth time since she’d entered the room.

 

“Right as rain, just like the last time you asked,” Caroline told her, rolling her eyes fondly. “You got me out before too much… happened.” Her bright eyes shuttered for a moment, before she shook the darkness off. “Onja emailed me to say that he and everyone else that mattered made it back to their families. He wished you a fast recovery.”

 

“Hey, remind me to give that kid a full ride to wherever he wants,” Sam heard Tony whisper to Pepper, who had shown up a few minutes after the nurse had left.

 

“He was a good kid, really smart,” Darcy agreed from where she was once more snuggled into his side. “And he deffo demonstrated some serious leadership skills. You should consider him for hire, after college and if he wants.”

 

“You might have to fight the Wakandans for him,” said Pepper with a small smile. “I hear that Princess Shuri might be looking for new talent.”

 

This dissolved rapidly into an argument about who had better tech (everyone in the room, including Tony, knew it was Wakanda, but he was a stubborn ass, so there was an argument) as Sam looked down at Darcy, kissing her gently on the temple.

 

“I’m so glad we found you,” he whispered to her. She grinned right back up at him.

 

“You’ve been looking at me for so long, it’s about time you found me,” she told him sassily. Sam just smiled, turning to join the argument on the side of the Wakandans.

 

About time indeed.


End file.
